| SOMETHING REAL- PART 4 When they arrived at Michael's apartment Liz hopped off the bike and handed Michael the helmet with a giddy grin. "I'm beginning to see why you love this thing so much." She waved a hand to indicate the motorcycle. "It's a rush isn't it?" Michael said with a pleased smile. Maria had hated it. He was glad that Liz didn't feel the same way. They went inside and before Liz could even put her bag down she found herself pressed up against the door and attacked by a very hungry mouth. Michael buried his face in her neck, pressing open mouthed kisses against her skin. He moved up to her ear and gently nipped her earlobe, then sucked on it lightly, making her moan. His hot breath sent tingles down her spine as he whispered in her ear. "You like that?" "Uh huh," Liz mumbled hazily. She tilted her head to the side to give him better access. He moved back down her neck slowly, sucking and biting teasingly. She shivered and pressed closer. Her bag fell to the floor with a thud as she wrapped her arms around him and slipped her hands under his shirt to caress his bare back. He lifted his head to look at her with a knowing grin. "You were coming on to me, weren't you?" She blushed, knowing he was talking about their encounter in the alley behind the Crashdown. "Not intentionally. I just wasn't really thinking clearly. I'd never been that close to you before, I guess I just got a little carried away." "Oh yeah? Wanna get carried away again?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Oh, most definitely." She kissed him and then pushed him off her. "After I take a shower." "Ooh," he groaned loudly holding his hand to his chest to cover an imaginary wound. "Ha-ha, very funny." She smacked him lightly on his arm. "Believe me, this would be a whole lot more romantic if my hair didn't smell like onion rings." "Can't argue with that logic. You go first and I'll go grab us something for dinner. Chinese sound good?" "Perfect. How did you know Chinese was my favorite?" He shrugged. "I didn't - it's mine, too." He kissed her forehead and headed for the door. "Be right back." Liz picked up her gym bag and took it into the bathroom with her. It felt strangely intimate to be taking a shower at Michael's even though he wasn't here at the moment. She grabbed her shampoo and vanilla body wash from her bag and put them on the edge of the tub. Turning the water on, she quickly got undressed as she waited for it to heat up. Stepping into the steamy shower she couldn't help wondering what it would be like to be in here with Michael. Maybe she'd be able to find out someday soon. She'd just finished her shower and was drying off when she heard Michael re-enter the apartment. She wrapped the towel around her body and brushed the tangles out of her hair, before opening the door slightly to talk to him. "Um, Michael?" He was standing in the kitchen with his back to her, removing cartons of food from a paper bag. Michael turned around to face her and almost dropped the container of fried rice he was holding. Wow! Liz Parker wet and wearing nothing but a damp towel was definitely easy on the eyes. Michael filed the image away for future fantasy material before answering her. "Yeah?" "Um...I was just wondering whether you wanted me to stay here or go home?" she mumbled nervously. "I thought we were going to talk. Why would I want you to go home?" Michael asked with a confused frown as he set the fried rice on the counter. He walked over to where she was standing in the bathroom doorway, raising his hand to tenderly brush her damp hair behind her ear. "Is something wrong?" "No, everything's great. What I meant was - do you want me to stay here tonight or go home?" "You mean sleep here?" "Yeah. My parents won't be home until tomorrow night, so I could stay if you want. I don't mean...you know..it's too soon to think about that. I just thought it might be nice to s-sleep together. Wow, this is really embarrassing. Never mind, I don't know what I'm talking about." She stepped back into the bathroom and started to close the door, but Michael put his hand out to stop her. "Liz, of course I want you to stay. It will give us more time to talk and get used to being together. I would really like that," he said softly, running his fingers through her wet hair. He was surprised, but very pleased that she wanted to spend the night with him. "Me too." Liz sighed in relief. "Actually the reason I brought it up now is I need to get dressed and I didn't know what to put on." She blushed and bit her lip as she looked up at him. "See, I wasn't sure if you'd want me to stay or not so I brought pajamas, um..just in case." She looked away in embarrassment. "Wear whatever makes you comfortable. I'm going to get the food ready. I picked up some videos, too. Feel like watching a movie?" "Sounds great, I'll be out in a minute." "No rush." Liz closed the door and dug through her bag for her 'pajamas' which in actuality were a pair of dark blue boxers with tiny white stars all over them and a white spaghetti strapped lycra tank top. She knew she looked good in them which of course is why she brought them. She twisted her hair up into an artfully messy bun and left a few wavy strands hanging loose to frame her face. It was very flattering and had the added bonus of looking casual. She didn't want him to think she was trying to impress him - even though she was. She sprayed on a light mist of vanilla body spray and checked out her face in the mirror. She was still very tan from her summer in Florida so she didn't need much make-up, just a quick coat of mascara and lip gloss. She bundled up her dirty clothes and set them on the floor next to her gym bag. When she came out of the bathroom Michael was sitting on the couch watching t.v. He had the food laid out on the coffee table with two cherry cokes. She smiled to herself - the aliens seemed to love cherry coke almost as much as tabasco. "Hey, watcha watchin'?" she said to get his attention. He looked up at her and his eyes widened in appreciation. Mission accomplished! she thought smugly. "Why don't you come over here and find out?" he suggested with a wicked grin. He was obviously up to no good, so Liz approached him cautiously. She yelped in surprise when he grabbed her arm and pulled her off balance so she fell in his lap. He tickled her mercilessly until she was squealing with laughter and begging him to stop. "Michaaeel! Stop, please!" she laughed breathlessly. He finally took pity on her and ceased his evil torture. Sliding his hand up to her neck he stroked her gently, moving up to cup her cheek and lift her lips to his. He invaded her mouth with his velvety tongue over and over, stopping occasionally to gently nibble and suck on her bottom lip. Liz sighed and moaned with pleasure. He finally left her lips to trail moist kisses down her throat to the sensitive hollow where her neck met her shoulder. He bit teasingly at the smooth skin then licked it in a soothing motion. She gasped softly as he returned his mouth to her neck and sucked hungrily. When he finally broke away to look at her she whimpered at the loss of his lips and tried to pull him back to her. He smiled gently and brushed the damp tendrils of hair off her flushed face, leaning forward to drop a sweet kiss on her lips. "As much as I want to continue this, we should eat first and I really need to take a shower." She pouted in childish displeasure until he rolled his eyes at her and laughed. "That is not going to work with me, Parker. Now get your cute butt off me so we can eat." "It's your fault my butt was on you in the first place," she mumbled under her breath as she got up and went into the kitchen to grab some napkins. The tabasco sauce was still sitting on the counter. Michael must have forgotten it. She scooped it up and took it with her. "Here, you forgot this," she said as she held the bottle out to him. He took it from her and set it down on the table with an odd look. "What's the matter?" "Nothing," he said avoiding her gaze and busily opening cartons to inspect the contents. Liz frowned and circled around the coffee table to stand next to him. He still refused to look up so she pushed his hands away from the table and moved to kneel on the floor between his legs. She cupped his face in her hands and forced him to look at her. "Michael, come on, we promised to be honest with each other." No way was she going to let him get away with avoiding her question. She wanted him to get used to being open with her right from the start. "Liz, it's no big deal just drop it, okay?" If she didn't know better she would swear that he was blushing. "Well if it's no big deal then it won't matter if you tell me will it," she said in a no-nonsense tone of voice. "Fine!" he grimaced. "You know that stubborn streak is going to get you in trouble one of these days." He sighed in exasperation and hugged her to him. "I know." she smirked. Her expression turned serious as she stared into his eyes. "I'm not trying to crowd you Michael. I care about you and if something's bothering you, no matter how minor it is, I want to know. Can you please just humor me?" "Okay, okay. I guess I can handle that. Anyway I told you it's not a big deal. I just decided to skip the tabasco. It's not the end of the world." "Why?" He laughed. "You don't give up do you?" "Nope. Might as well get used to it." "I was just trying to be considerate." "Huh? What do you mean?" Liz asked, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Well...I figured we were probably going to pick up where we left off later." "So?" She still didn't get it. "So.." He sighed. "Maria used to bitch when I ate tabasco sauce before we made out, she hated the taste of it. I just didn't want to ruin the mood." He grinned sheepishly. "Are you serious? Michael, I am not Maria. I love the way you taste. I really, really do and I don't want you to change anything for me. I want you to be exactly who you are. I want to get to know the real Michael Guerin and I want you to know the real me inside and out. I want that so much." Michael was humbled and grateful and so many other things he couldn't put a name to. Nobody had ever really cared about him enough to want to dig past the surface and find out what was underneath. Max and Isabel loved him like a brother he knew, but even they accepted him at face value. They had never considered that there might be more to Michael than what he chose to show them. He was amazed that this beautiful, intelligent woman wanted to see what he kept hidden from the world and she wanted him to see inside of her as well. "Thank you," he said softly. "I know it sounds cheesy, but I want to share everything with you, Michael," she whispered as she met his lips in a lingering kiss. After a minute she ended the kiss and smirked wickedly. "Now let's hurry up and eat so we can get back to the good stuff." They both laughed and nodded in silent agreement. Turning around to face the table she sat down on the floor between his knees, leaning back into him. She twisted around to look at him questioningly. "Is it okay if I sit here?" "Sure." He leaned forward and nuzzled his face in her silky hair, kissing the top of her head. "So, what do you want to eat first?" he asked, resting his chin on her shoulder and surveying the cartons of food. "Sesame chicken?" "Good choice." Michael held his hand over the container for a second to heat it up before handing it to her. Liz picked up her fork and took a bite of the warm chicken. "You're kind of a handy guy to have around, aren't you?" she grinned. "You ain't seen nothin' yet." They joked and laughed easily as they ate. The food was good and they were feeling more relaxed with each other than ever. When they finished Michael threw away the empty containers while Liz cleaned off the table. He walked up behind her and pressed his lips to the back of her neck in a soft kiss. He couldn't seem to stop kissing her. He wanted to taste every inch of her exposed skin. He smoothed his hand down her back and slipped it around her waist to caress her flat stomach, pulling her back against him. He nuzzled the side of her neck and whispered in her ear, "Do you mind if I jump in the shower now?" She shook her head silently, enjoying the feel of him against her. His body was strong and firm. She slid her hand over his and tangled their fingers together, pushing back against him. Michael groaned softly in her ear and moved his other hand down to squeeze her hip, gently pressing his obvious arousal against her cotton covered buttocks. They both moaned at the sensation. She tipped her head back and stretched her free hand up to grasp the nape of his neck and pull him down to meet her urgent lips. Michael kissed her deeply, letting his tongue find all the hidden recesses of her delicious mouth. "Go. Shower. Hurry." Liz mumbled incoherently against his mouth. He chuckled at her dazed expression, kissed her once more and disappeared into the bathroom. Liz took a couple of deep, calming breaths and waited for her heart to slow down to a more natural pace. My god, that boy could kiss! He should come with a warning label attached. After she recovered sufficiently she started wandering around, checking things out. She picked up the videos he'd rented and looked them over. 'Scream 2' and 'Halloween H2O'. Huh. Obviously he was hoping she'd get scared and hang all over him like a cheap suit. Well she had been planning to do that anyway, so she might as well indulge his macho guy ego, she chuckled to herself. She peeked through the door of his bedroom and looked around. She'd never been in there before. It was simple, but comfortable looking. There was a neatly made double bed in the center with a night stand next to it and a dresser on the wall across from it. She walked over to the night stand and switched on the lamp. There was a worn copy of James Joyce's 'Ulysses' and an alarm clock next to it. She picked up the book and turned it over in her hands. So Michael was a fan of Joyce. It just served to prove that she had been right about him all along. She had always suspected that there was an amazing depth and intelligence buried under that mask of scornful disinterest he displayed to the world. Liz heard the bathroom door open and turned around warily. She hadn't intended to get caught in here, she hoped he wasn't angry. Oh my god! Michael was standing in the doorway half naked. He had a towel wrapped around his waist and his skin glistened wetly. His blonde hair was tousled and damp. He quirked one eyebrow at her in question. She flushed guiltily and stammered "I-I'm sorry...I was just waiting for you and... Don't be angry. I wasn't snooping, I just saw the book and I..." She shrugged helplessly, at a loss to explain what she was doing in his bedroom uninvited. Michael smiled reassuringly and went to his dresser to grab some clothes. "Relax, Liz. I don't mind. I want you to feel at home here." He turned back around with a pair of blue and gray flannel boxers and a gray T-shirt in his hand. "You might want to turn around, though." He laughed as her face turned an even darker shade of red and she whirled around quickly to face the wall. She could hear fabric rustling as he discarded the towel and got dressed. "All clear," he informed her with amusement still coloring his voice. When she turned back around she was struck speechless for a moment. The minimal clothing didn't provide much more coverage than the towel had. There was a generous amount of golden skin left bare to her appreciative gaze. She unconsciously licked her lips in anticipation. Michael watched her and swallowed convulsively. "Do you feel like watching a movie, now?" he asked casually; trying to ease the tension that had suddenly settled over them like a heavy blanket. "Yeah, I think that's probably a good idea." She made an effort to slow her breathing down as she walked ahead of him into the living room. She paused briefly in front of the couch, suddenly remembering that she had almost had sex with Max on this very couch last year. She didn't even want to consider what Michael may have done with Maria on it. Liz immediately banished the unwelcome images from her mind and sat down. She wasn't going to let thoughts of their previous relationships intrude on their time together. Michael popped a tape in the VCR and stretched out beside her, propping his feet up on the coffee table. He slipped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him. Liz snuggled against him and let her hand rest on his bare leg just above his knee. She felt his muscles tense briefly and then relax beneath her fingers. Michael's hand was gently caressing her bare shoulder. She shivered. "Cold?" He stared down at her with raised eyebrows. She shook her head. The movie was predictably scary and provided numerous opportunities for her to bury her head in his chest and cling to him in supposed fright. She enjoyed every second of it. |